Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 238: Sanctuary of Federica. (1)

They succeeded in bringing in the sinner upon whom God had personally bestowed a revelation.

Normally, the revelation would have come immediately.

But this time, it took a while for the revelation to arrive, as if something had gone awry, causing a moment of hesitation.

That night, the delayed revelation finally descended.

"Offer that sinner to me."

“I shall obey.”

The saint responded quietly.

According to God's will, preparations had to be made to offer the sacrifice.

As it was a significant offering, nothing could be done carelessly.

The saint quickly conveyed the contents of the revelation and began preparations.

Everything for the offering was rapidly set in motion.

As the saint watched this with satisfaction,

“Saint.”

One of the elders approached quietly.

“What is it?”

“A message of regret has been delivered from the Kingdom of Denian.”

“…Ah.”

The saint made a face as if they had anticipated this.

They had taken Ketal, who was in Rilta, the capital of the Kingdom of Denian.

From Denian's perspective, it was as if the capital had been manipulated by Federica's followers.

For the Kingdom of Denian, it was necessary to convey a formal expression of regret to maintain their pride.

“As before, we can ignore it.”

The saint decided to dismiss it neatly.

They had destroyed and ravaged numerous territories under the pretext of carrying out Federica's will.

Each time, a message of regret had been delivered, but they had ignored them all.

There was no reason to be swayed by the Kingdom of Denian's words now.

“They probably don't expect us to listen. It’s just a formal document. Ignore it.”

“…Understood.”

The elder nodded, though with a troubled expression.

The content had been rather strong for a mere formal document.

But there was no reason to pay attention, so the elder followed the saint's words.

And then.

Another group sent a message of regret.

The elder approached the saint once more.

“Saint, the Mercenary Guild has delivered a message of regret.”

“What?”

The saint frowned, this time caught off guard.

“The Mercenary Guild?”

Some might belittle them as a mere group of errand boys, but the Mercenary Guild was not a force to be underestimated.

Spread across the entire continent, they gathered all sorts of information and had ties with many.

They were practically the only group that could exert influence across the continent.

But why had the Mercenary Guild suddenly sent a message of regret?

The elder spoke cautiously.

“A message of regret arrived regarding the oppression of a mercenary affiliated with the guild.”

“…That barbarian. He must have been a mercenary.”

The saint murmured, understanding dawning.

The Mercenary Guild had a duty to protect its affiliated mercenaries.

In this situation, it wasn’t strange for them to deliver a message of regret.

“Ignore it. Lady Federica herself has commanded us to offer that barbarian to her. Not even mercenaries can stop that.”

The reason only a message of regret was being delivered was precisely because of this.

As long as they were acting under the pretext of divine revelation, outside interference was impossible.

There was no need for significant concern.

That was the saint's judgment.

But a few hours later.

The elder approached the saint once again, this time with a face full of anxiety.

“S-Saint.”

“Another message of regret? From where this time?”

The saint, clearly exasperated, asked.

But the elder’s next words widened their eyes.

“T-The merfolk have delivered a message of regret.”

“…What? The merfolk?”

The saint was shocked.

It was no wonder.

The merfolk lived in the sea.

Although they cooperated, their relationship was essentially a distant, indifferent coexistence.

It was practically unheard of for them to intervene in terrestrial matters.

“Is it the entire merfolk?”

“No. It’s just one small merfolk city.”

“Ah… I see. In that case, it’s not a problem to ignore them.”

The saint tried to compose their startled emotions but still couldn’t understand.

‘Why?’

Why had the merfolk delivered a message of regret?

‘Does that barbarian hold such value to the merfolk?’

The saint hadn’t paid much attention to the individual named Ketal.

And there was a reason for that.

The information control of the Tower Master was extremely powerful.

Although the wandering merchant had broken it, it hadn’t been long enough for the information to spread widely.

It wasn't something a closed-off group like the Federica Church would be aware of.

And Liltara, an elite, had successfully brought Ketal.

While they wouldn't have been weak, they hadn't seemed particularly extraordinary either.

But there was a more significant reason.

It was because Liltara had kept silent.

Liltara had chased Ketal through the Holy Land of Kalosia, the coastal cities, and even the merfolk's villages.

They had heard what Ketal had done in those places.

However, when it came to talking about the saint, Liltara remained silent on that subject.

She even asked the Holy Knights who accompanied them to keep quiet, too.

Though they were puzzled, they complied with Liltara's request.

As a result, the saint had no idea what kind of person Ketal was.

They saw them merely as a sacrifice desired by God.

That's why they were so bewildered by the repeated expressions of regret.

“It’s okay. We can ignore it.”

Though bewildered, the saint judged that it wasn’t a problem of great significance.

But a few minutes later, the elder reappeared, his face filled with shock.

“T-The elves have delivered a message of regret!”

“The elves, now?”

The saint asked with a weary expression.

“Is it just one village again?”

“N-No!”

The elder shook his head, and the saint's breath caught at his next words.

“The High Elf Queen from the Holy Land of the Elves, Elfo Sagrado, has personally delivered a message of regret!”

* * *

“…Are you talking about Lady Karin?”

“Yes, yes!”

“No. Why…”

The High Elf Queen Karin.

She was incredibly famous.

The only being on earth who had made a pact with the Spirit King, the guardian of the World Tree, and a powerful hero of great renown.

She was, in effect, the ruler of the entire elf race.

Such a person had personally delivered a message of regret.

In other words, it was as if the entire elf race had delivered a message of regret.

“No. Why?”

The High Elf Queen never left the Holy Land of the Elves.

It was extremely rare for anyone to see her.

But for her to have a connection with that barbarian?

It was incomprehensible.

The elder, equally baffled, wore a deeply troubled expression.

“S-Saint, what should we do…”

“Hold on a moment.”

Now it couldn’t be ignored as before.

The saint's mind was in turmoil.

But it didn't stop there.

Other elders came rushing in.

“S-Saint! A message of regret has been delivered from the Magic Tower!”

“…What? Why the Magic Tower?”

“S-Saint! The Kalosia Church has sent a message of regret!”

“The Sun God Church has also sent one!”

“…What is going on.”

The saint's face grew pale.

* * *

An emergency meeting was convened.

The saint and the elders gathered in one place, all deeply unsettled.

“W-What is happening.”

“No, I can understand the other groups, but why are the elves and merfolk getting involved?”

“Why is the Kalosia Church…?”

“Is it possible that the Sun God is connected to the barbarian?”

“Calm down.”

The saint struggled to compose himself and began to assess the situation.

“Exactly which groups and individuals have delivered messages of regret?”

“Ah. Yes.”

One of the elders swallowed nervously and began to speak, slowly organizing the information.

The King of the Denian Kingdom delivered a message of regret.

The Guildmaster of the Mercenary Guild delivered a message of regret.

The leader of a small merfolk village delivered a message of regret.

The High Elf Queen Karin delivered a message of regret.

The leader of the Shadow Paint School delivered a message of regret.

The Saintess of the Kalosia Church delivered a message of regret.

The Saintess of the Sun God Church delivered a message of regret.

“…”

The saint was speechless.

When everything was laid out, it was shocking.

Numerous groups with immense influence on the continent had become involved.

Though they had committed countless atrocities, never before had so many groups expressed their regret at once.

Most notably, two churches were among the groups that delivered messages of regret.

The Kalosia Church.

Once, like them, they had sought to impose God's will upon the world.

Though they had failed under persecution, their great legacy had inspired many followers of Federica.

They were a church with which there was an inner bond of closeness.

And the Sun God Church was the most powerful church on the continent.

Though their power and influence were somewhat overshadowed by the Earth Mother Church, they had warriors strong enough to overcome that difference.

Along with the Earth Mother Church, they were among the most influential churchs in the world.

And now, these two churches were moving to save the barbarian.

‘…Just who is this barbarian?’

What kind of being was he?

Who was their God truly targeting?

Who had they meddled with?

The saint's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

“What should we do?”

One of the elders cautiously asked.

The saint bit his lip.

“…At the end of the day, they are just messages of regret. We could simply ignore them and proceed.”

God had delivered a revelation directly.

That alone meant that external forces couldn’t interfere directly.

“But…”

That only held true up to a certain point.

The Mercenary Guild, the Magic Tower, the merfolk and elves, and two other churches of different deities—these were groups that shared control over the continent, and they were all getting involved.

At this point, ignoring them entirely was difficult.

God’s word held absolute value on earth, but that didn’t apply to the Church itself.

For now, with the revelation in hand, they might get by with just messages of regret, but there was no telling what pretexts might be used to attack them later on.

The Federica Church was not in a particularly strong position at the moment.

With the mounting criticism due to their numerous past atrocities, they were under increasing scrutiny.

If they weren’t careful, they could be branded as the continent's troublemakers, just as the Kalosia Church had been in the past, and could face a swift downfall.

The example of Kalosia made caution essential.

“…We have no choice.”

After much deliberation, the saint made his decision.

They couldn’t give up Ketal.

God had directly commanded that he be brought before Her.

Even if the Church were to be burned to the ground, they had to obey.

But if they proceeded as is, there was no telling what pretext might be used against them later.

So—

“We need to establish a justification that they can’t challenge. Kostia, is he currently in the Holy Land?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Summon him.”

The saint declared.

“Summon Chief Inquisitor Kostia and instruct him to prepare for a heresy trial.”

“Yes.”

They would conduct an inquiry to determine if Ketal was a heretic.

And this information was, of course, relayed to Ketal.

The one who delivered the information was Liltara.

“They want to conduct a heresy trial on me?”

Ketal remarked with a curious expression.

“But why bother with that? Isn’t it unnecessary since God has already given a direct revelation?”

“…They likely need a proper justification.”

Liltara, the one who had personally brought Ketal to the Holy Land, was deeply involved in the situation and had access to a lot of information.

She had told Ketal that messages of regret had been sent from outside.

Ketal nodded in understanding.

“Ah, I see. So they want to frame me as a heretic to avoid any backlash.”

Ketal laughed, finding it absurd.

“How ridiculous, Liltara. I am not one of your followers.”

A heresy trial was something conducted on believers.

Ketal was not one of them.

To conduct a heresy trial on a non-believer was nothing but an absurd pretense.

“Using any means necessary to achieve a goal—is this truly Federica’s value?”

“……”

No, it wasn’t.

Federica’s value was hunger.

If the goal wasn’t achieved, it had to hold meaning in and of itself.

Forcing a goal to be achieved was meaningless.

It was a vile desire.

At least, that’s how Liltara had been taught.

Her expression twisted with distress.

“Well. Fine. It’s not so bad.”

Ketal leaned back against the wall.

A real heresy trial conducted by a religious church—it might actually be interesting.

“Do everything you want. Since it seems amusing, I’ll play along for now.”

At least until he grew bored.

Ketal chuckled with amusement.